I have to confess that I don't know who Peter Watts is, but I found him while looking at a list of Hugo Award nominees for 2007, and his novel is listed. The Hugos are a great indicator of quality, and I'm sure this is a good book.

This work is assumed to be in the Life+70 public domain OR the copyright holder has given specific permission for distribution. Copyright laws differ throughout the world, and it may still be under copyright in some countries. Before downloading, please check your country's copyright laws. If the book is under copyright in your country, do not download or redistribute this work.

I found him a short while ago. Even though I'm a SF fanatic I had somehow missed him. Blindsight is great and be sure to read his other three Rifter novels also. I read them all for free in Mobipocket format from his site.